The boy is mine: Phuong Vy (above), Okamoto  and Moni (top) will blend R&B, pop and rock at a concert tonight at My Dinh National Conference Centre. — File Photos

HA NOI — American R&B singer Monica Denise Brown will share the stage with Viet Nam Idol winner Phuong Vy at a concert tonight.

The song Everything to Me will be performed for the first time by the two singers and rock band Okamoto from Japan. The song is Brown's sixth number one hit.

In Viet Nam, Brown became famous when she performed the song The Boy Is Mine with Brandy in 1998. The song earned Monica three Grammy award nominations for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group and Best R&B Song and Record of the Year.

At the fourth annual concert, entitled H-Artistry, the singer will perform the popular song and invite audience members to sing with her.

"The Boy Is Mine is performed only when Brandy and I are together. So I won't perform it at the concert tonight," said Brown at a press conference held at Ha Noi's Sofitel Metropole yesterday.

She also said she was excited to perform with a rock band for the first time in a concert that features the art of music without boundaries. "The concert tomorrow is like a dream," she said.

With a career lasting more than 15 years, she became the first artist to top the US Billboard Hot R&B and Hip-Hop Songs chart in the 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s.

In 2010, Billboard listed Brown at number 24 on its list of Top 50 R&B and Hip Hop Artists in the past 25 years.

The songs performed by Brown tonight will include a new song from her album released this year.

Vietnamese pop singer Phuong Vy won the first season of Viet Nam Idol in 2007. She then represented Viet Nam in the first Asian Idol competition in the same year.

In addition to pursuing her career as an active singer, Phuong Vy is currently a student at RMIT International University Viet Nam. She has released 6 albums and many of her songs have become great hits, from pop and R&B ballads to dance and jazz tunes.

"I'm very nervous before performing. I loved Monica when I was a little girl. I never imagined that one day I would sit so close to her," Phuong Vy said. She will sing Vietnamese and English songs.

The concert will be rocked by a performance by the band Okamoto.

The four-member group was set up in 2007 after a successful performance at their high school. They are considered by many to be Japan's fastest rising stars.

The band and Phuong Vy will perform the song I Love Rock&Roll together. "Rock music has not been as popular in Viet Nam as in Japan and America, so I hope to inspire young audiences with rock music," said a member of the band.

H-Artistry has become one of the most popular annual musical shows in Viet Nam. "We highly appreciate the artistry of concerts held by Hennessy in Viet Nam, which have brought amazing talented artists from around the world to Viet Nam," said Nguyen Van Tinh, head of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's International Co-operation Department.

The concert by top talents and emerging artists from different corners of the world will inspire youths to follow their dreams, according to Benny NG, a representative of the organisation board.

The invitation-only concert will kick off at 8pm at the My Dinh National Conference Centre. — VNS